RIYADH: Spending on outbound tourism will be reduced by 50 percent as soon as the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE) is activated, local media said quoting experts.
The number of Saudi tourists leaving the country has registered a remarkable rise, reaching 39 percent in 2015, experts said.
The experts attributed the upward trend of out-bound tourism to a number of factors including soaring prices and low level of services, especially in cities frequently visited by Saudi tourists such as Abha, Baha, Taif, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Alkhobar.
In this context, Deputy President of the National Committee for Tourism Abdulrahman Al-Sani said some 4.5 million Saudi tourists spent nearly $35 billion (SR131.25 billion) in 2015 in foreign countries. This figure is poised to increase to more than $100 billion (SR375 billion) in 15 years, at an annual rate of 15 percent, he said.
Ahmed Al-Shiraidi, a media expert on tourism, said anyone who has tracked passenger movement at Saudi airports and border crossing points would realize the magnitude of the number of Saudis leaving the country and their far-reaching desire to travel.
The volume of money spent on the outbound tourism purposes reached SR96.2 billion in 2015 compared to SR69.3 billion in 2014, or an increase of 39 percent, according to estimates of the Tourism Information and Research Center (Mas) at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH).
Al-Shiraidi asked those concerned with domestic tourism on how to minimize the growing rate of money spent on outbound tourism and restore confidence in our domestic tourism, notably with the drop of Arab tourist destinations due to geopolitical developments.
However, Deputy President of the National Committee for Tourism at the Eastern Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry Miqbil Al-Miqbil said the tourism sector in the Kingdom witnessed a remarkable growth in the last ten years.
The Saudi tourist has become more aware of all entertainment experiences at the GCC and at global levels, and being more inclined to spend, he has become the target of a number of tourism-attracting countries, he said.
One of the key tends of Vision 2030 was the activation of domestic tourism and improvement of tourist services in order to minimize outbound tourism and attract local tourists, he said.
The General Authority for Entertainment is one of the major pillars of the realization of the vision, and, when activated, would yield substantial results and recycle billions of riyals spent in foreign countries within the Kingdom, he pointed out.
Activation of entertainment authority ‘will cut outbound tourism spending by 50%’
Activation of entertainment authority ‘will cut outbound tourism spending by 50%’
